Jo Nesbø

Jo Nesbø (b. 1960 in Oslo), a contemporary Norwegian writer and musician, originally trained as an economist and financial analyst, initially worked as a broker and journalist.

In 1997, his literary career began with the crime novel Flaggermusmannen (The Bat Man), the first detective novel featuring the distinctive and unconventional criminologist Harry Hole. The book was an immediate success for its author, with Nesbø receiving the Rivertonprisen, a prize awarded by the Riverton Club for the best literary or dramatic achievement with a crime theme, and the Glasnøkkelen, The Glass Key, the Scandinavian prize for the best crime novel.

Die Fledermaus was followed by other books starring Harry Hole: 1998 Kakerlakkene (Cockroaches), 2000 Rødstrupe (Robin Bears Death), 2002 Sorgenfri (Carefree), 2003 Marekors (Pentagram), 2005 Frelseren (Saviour), 2007 Snømannen (Snowman), 2009 Panserhjerte (Armored Heart), 2011 Gjenferd (Phantom), 2013 Politi (Police), 2017 Tørst (Thirst), 2019 Kniv (Knife). Harry Hole also comes to life in the form of the spoken word - audiobooks are masterfully read by Hynek Čermák.

Other works: After seven Harry Hole novels, Nesbø took a break for a while and wrote the fast-paced thriller Hodejegerne in 2008. In it, he made use of his experience from years spent in the world of financial analysts, which he portrayed with a masterful dose of black humor. The main character is Roger Brown – a brain hunter – who is forced to earn extra money by stealing works of art. Headhunters was also published as an audiobook, which was read by Filip Švarc.

The book The Son from 2012 was also a significant success. The book is about a young prisoner named Sonny Lofthus, who escapes from prison and sets out on a bloody revenge against the mafia, which forced his father to commit suicide. Other books include Blood on the Snow and its looser sequel called Midnight Sun, both published in 2015.

The Norwegian television series Occupation was based on the novel about the hypothetical occupation of Norway by Russia. The series premiered on Norwegian television on October 5, 2015. The first episode was broadcast on Czech Television on January 7, 2017.

In addition to detective stories, she also writes humorous children's books dedicated to her daughter. The successful series features a pair of friends and an eccentric professor Doktor Proktor, waiting for his big discovery: 2007 Doctor Proctors prompepulver (Doctor Proctor and the Fart Powder), 2008 Doctor Proktors tidsbadekar (Doctor Proctor and the Bathtub of Time), 2010 Doktor Proktor og verdens undergang, kanskje (Doctor Proctor and the End of the World. Maybe... :) and 2012 Doktor Proctor og det store Gullrøveriet (Doctor Proctor and the Great Gold Robbery). The voice of the children's Nesbøvek in three published audiobooks so far is David Novotný.

In addition to the above-mentioned awards, Jo Nesbø has won a number of other literary awards for his crime novels. In total, his books have been translated into 35 languages and published in 140 countries around the world. By October 2015, 23 million copies had been sold worldwide, of which 3 million were sold in Norway alone, which has a population of 4.5 million.